Israelis Open Their Homes for Residents of the South

The Keren Kehilot Foundation for Community Revival in Israel is helping to connect residents of the south with host families.

By Annie Lubin

First Publish: 11/14/2012, 11:45 PM

A home in Sderot damaged by a rocket

Reuters

The Keren Kehilot Foundation for Community Revival in Israel opened a special center Wednesday in order to help the people of Israel living under the constant threat of rockets.

“Embrace the South” aims to help the residents of the south by matching them up with Israeli families who have opened their homes and offered to host these families, so they won’t have to live within 15 seconds of a shelter and can walk outside without fear.

The organization hopes to arrange host homes bySaturday in an effort to get the families of the south out of harms way as soon as possible.

Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika informed Avi Dichter, Ministerfor Home Front Defense, of the outpour of support the Shomron community has for the families of the south, saying, "Residents of Shomron will be happyto hostandtoembracewith love the citizens who have been evacuated.” Mesika added that many families in Shomron have hosted families in the past, who were caught in the line of fire during the Second Lebanon War and OperationCast Lead, and will gladlydo it now.

Keren Kehilot CEO,ShaiTubal, said that"thousands of familiesthroughout the country are happyto opentheir doorsSaturdayfor the residents ofthe South...The project is being launched from a place of complete identification with the people of the South and astonishment at their ability to deal with the difficult situation in which they live…this is an opportunity to connect people across the country with their brothers in the South.